Return of the Kraken in Winterfell
by st4rkjoy
Summary: Theon dies at the hands of the Night King thinking he was unable to protect Bran. As he bleeds to death once again regretting everything, thinking if only he had known this is how it ends. Theon opens his eyes and sees that he is back at Pyke looking at the sea with his mother. Time travel where Theon tries to fix his mistakes.
1. Prologue

It was Alannys Greyjoy who noticed the difference in her son first. She noticed the behavioral changes in her baby boy. The haunted look on his face did not belong to a child of six summers old. He no longer ran crying to his mother for comfort. When his father insulted him and beat him for being a disgrace, Theon didn't cry. He just stared. It was unsettling, to say the least.

Alannys went to her son's room to check on him. Her little boy was under the covers hiding.

"Theon! Come out." Alannys said in her strict motherly tone.

There was no answer. There was just an eerie silence.

"THEON! Answer me. " Alannys raised her voice. She was getting worried.

She moved closer and pulled the covers off him. Alannys saw her baby just staring at nothing with wide sea-green eyes while whispering something under his breath. Theon was lying in his bed completely still. It was as if he were imitating a corpse. It was a disturbing sight to see. She touched his shoulder and the spell was broken.

"Mother why are you here? When did you get here?" Theon looked at her confused.

"I just got here to check on you baby. Are you feeling ill?" Alannys asked.

The boy lifted his brows, but still looking confused answered: "I am alright mother, please don't worry about me."

His mother looked as if she wanted to argue. She was about to answer him, but a shout interrupted her. It was his father.

"Alannys get in here! For Drowned God's sake!" Balon shouted.

"I'll be right there." She answered back. She looked at Theon worriedly and said, "I have to go now, but we will talk later."

Theon just nodded and his mother left reluctantly.


	2. Chapter 1 - Rodrik Greyjoy

**RODRIK **

Rodrik stumbled out of the Tavern after winning a fight, yet he was still in a bad mood. This time Maron wasn't with him. The cuff had been raw, mess of blood and broken bones. He had started the fight and finished it, but he didn't feel satisfied. He didn't feel like a victor. All that he felt was pent-up anger and frustration that he hadn't even gotten to unleash. He paused and started thinking of a way to get rid of feeling it, since this time none of the alcohol had done shit this time. He liked to drink to forget his problems, but now he felt like he was drowning in his own sea of misery. He sighed and tried to calm his nerves. He took a sip from his beer bottle. He started walking again, looking up at the sky. Had he been out this late? He hadn't noticed how fast time went by in the Tavern. The sun was already setting. The sky had an odd mix of red and orange colours. Just looking at it felt ominous.

Rodrik was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a whispering. It was coming from the caves. He gazed off into the distance blankly. Rodrik tightened his grip on his beer bottle. He sighed and decided to follow the voice. He started staggering towards the noise until he heard something that sounded like a seagull's trying to do a pitiful call. It startled him. Rodrik went into the cave without any hesitation. He kept moving trying to find the source. He felt like he was almost there. Rodrik jumped down last of the rocks and peeked through a corner.

There was a small figure holding something on his lap. Rodrik immediately thought of the seagull. Maybe some bored asshole was hurting the seagull? He tried to get a closer look, but it was too dark. Then he heard the whispers again. This time he noticed how the small figure tried to calm the seagull. He walked closer and saw the boy's back. He could recognize that light brown hair colour anywhere. He walked straight next to the figure without caring. Rodrik could hear his whispers now. It had been little Theon. Rodrik rolled his eyes. It took everything in him not to hit his back. Theon hadn't noticed him, too caught up in his own little world. A thrilling idea came to Rodrik.

Rodrik took his beer bottle and smashed it to the ground. The loud noise of glass shattering made Theon yelp out of surprise. He saw how quickly Theon turned and Rodrik saw how quickly mixture of shock, fear and surprise crossed his face. His agitated sea-green eyes met Rodrik's dark blue eyes. A wide mischevious grin spread on Rodrik's face. Theon was taken aback. Rodrik stepped closer. Theon's breathing quickened, but he didn't move.

"Little Theon, what do you have there?" Rodrik asked grinning.

"A seagull." Theon answered back quickly.

"Why do you have it?" Rodrik asked while taking another step.

"It was hurt. I had to help it." Theon answered quietly.

"It was hurt so you decided to help it? Ain't that noble of you, little Theon. You're so soft-hearted." Rodrik sneered.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them. Rodrik just stared at Theon amusement gone from his face. _They're going to think Theon's weak. He'll get hurt if he doesn't get stronger. The Ironborn will never accept him if he shows weakness like this. _Rodrik thoughts wandered as he stared off at the rocks.

"Are you okay?" Theon asked, breaking the silence between them. He looked at Rodrik concerned as if he had never seen him before.

"What?" Rodrik snapped.

"It's just that you look pained." Theon said as he quickly looked away.

Rodrik moved quickly and punched Theon across the face. He then grabbed Theon by the throat. The seagull fell out of Theon's lap. It let out a pitiful squeak.

"Care to repeat that? Little fucker, you calling me weak?" Rodrik growled.

"No! Rodrik, please don't!" Theon shrieked.

He tried moving his hands towards his throat. He was trying to get Rodrik's hands off him. Theon looked at Rodrik pleadingly.

"How about we play a game?" Rodrik asked.

"Okay, okay! please just let go. I can't breathe." Theon agreed.

Rodrik looked satisfied with the answer. He let go of Theon's throat. Theon quickly scrambled to his feet. He took the pitiful seagull into his arms.

"Get out here now." Rodrik commanded.

Rodrik started walking out of the cave. Theon knew better than not to follow him. He walked next to Rodrik with the seagull in his arms. They were walking in silence. Rodrik looked at Theon and noticed his brooding mood. He was getting annoyed. They were out of the cave and the sun hadn't settled yet. The sky looked as if it was bathing in blood. It did look ominous now. They climbed on the rocks on the top. Rodrik gazed at the sea with a blank expression. Theon looked at him alarmed.

"Come here." Rodrik ordered.

Theon walked closer to Rodrik and stood next to him. He looked up at the sea. It looked sinister with the red sunset above it.

"Look at me." Rodrik said, eyes unblinking. Theon turned to face him holding the injured seagull in his arms. He was facing him but Theon refused to look at him in the eyes.

"How pitiful." Rodrik said loudly.

He grabbed the seagull from Theon's arms. The seagull squawked. He threw it from the cliff before Theon could stop him. The seagull hit the water with a small splash. Rodrik looked at Theon with disdain. The miserable face Theon was making right now was irritating him. _It was just a stupid bird._ Rodrik knew Theon wouldn't jump. After all he knew his little brother was a coward who ran to their mother crying for every little thing. He turned to leave, but Theon ran past him. _What in the name of Drowned god!_ He ran closer to the cliff. Rodrik reached out to grab him. He missed. _Theon couldn't. No. He won't._ Theon jumped off the cliff_. THE LITTLE SHIT_.

They were too high for the jump. The jump would've been dangerous for a grown man, but for Theon it was even more dangerous. He could easily die just from the jump. Rodrik looked over the cliff. He didn't see Theon, but he saw the seagull. He decided to wait. _He can't be dead. Theon may be weak. Fuck. He is too weak. He's going to fucking die. _

A long moment had passed. Rodrik quickly sobered up. He wasn't going to let his little brother die. _Especially not for some fucking seagull. _Rodrik jumped. The water hit him like a ton of bricks. _Fucking hell! The water is ice cold, too fucking cold. It's freezing. I have to keep moving to stay warm. I have to find Theon. _Rodrik didn't see Theon rising on the surface. _That damned weakling has probably drowned. Shit. _He got ready to dive at the same time Theon resurfaced. Their eyes met.

Theon swam to the seagull and pulled it to his chest. The seagull lifted it's head to look at him. Rodrik saw that Theon wouldn't be able to swim to the shore. He swam next to Theon. Rodrik pulled Theon with him. Theon still holding onto the seagull. The water was dark since the sun had already gone down. They swam to the shore in silence. Rodrik got out of the water and saw Theon trying to do the same while still holding on to the stupid bird. He walked back and pulled Theon out of the water. He was shivering. Theon fell on his back holding the bird to his chest.

"YOU'RE A COMPLETE AND UTTER FOOL! WEAK FUCKER! WHY THE FUCK DID YA JUMP?" Rodrik shouted.

"Sorry Rodrik. I just didn't want it to die." Theon whispered.

"YOU WERE GOING TO DIE FOR SOME STUPID FUCKING BIRD? IF YOU'RE GOING TO DIE, AT LEAST DIE WHILE DOING SOMETHING USEFUL! YOU USELESS SHITSTAIN!" Rodrik answered.

Rodrik quickly walked over to him. Theon had closed his eyes as if expecting a beating. Still he shielded that stupid bird. He grabbed him by the arm and pulled Theon to his feet. Sea-green eyes opened with a look of surprise.

"Come on. Let's go home." He said. Rodrik himself was surprised how fast he hadalmed down.

Theon tried to follow but his small feet didn't carry him. He fell to the ground. He tried to stand up again, but he couldn't. Rodrik noticed this_. My own body feeling like shit_. _No surprise the little twerp can't carry himself_. He looked at Theon and saw that he was just a fragile child.

"I'm...sorry. Just go home without me." he stammered.

"And leave you here to freeze to death?" Rodrik retorted.

Within a blink of an eye, Rodrik was standing next to Theon. He quickly lifted his little brother into his arms. Theon yelped and looked up at Rodrik. He carried his little brother like he would carry a sack of potatoes. Theon looked up at him in awe. Rodrik huffed.

"Thank you, Rodrik." Theon whispered.

"You're willing to die for a fucking bird, what a fucking disgrace. You're going to be laughing stock if the Ironborn find out you're so tender." Rodrik snapped.

"Then you should've just let me die. After all, I'm just a useless little shitstain." Theon mumbled.

"That's not what I meant. You need to become stronger, little Theon. Otherwise, you won't survive." Rodrik shot back irritated.

"I'll get stronger and I'll protect our family too." Theon said.

Rodrik looked at him annoyed. Then he flicked his forehead. Theon looked up at him, confused by his display.

"Aye, do I look like I need a weaklings protection? " Rodrik asked.

"It's a promise. I'm not japing Rodrik." Theon declared.

"You damn imbecile. Words are wind. You should know that little brother." Rodrik said trying to keep a straight-face. He thought the image itself would be hilarious.

They walked back home in silence. He dragged Theon back with him. Theon held the seagull in his arms. His mother had asked them why they were drenched in water. Rodrik had shrugged and Theon said they went for a swim. Maron had been there too. He had doubled over with laughter after he saw them. Rodrik smacked Maron on the back of his head. He had looked back to see Theon, but he had already ran to his room with the stupid bird.

_**END NOTES:**_

_Soo this is my first fanfiction I have ever written. The story is mostly based on the tv show(The characters NOT most of the story). Feel free to tell me how I should improve this story or my writing. There are probably some grammar mistakes since english isn't my native language so plz tell me so I can fix them._

_Also I don't own any of these characters or anything._

_I wasn't originally planning on adding any other Greyjoys pov on the story, but I thought it would be interesting. There will be at least 7 more chapters before Theon's pov and couple more before he meets Ned Stark. I had to change the ages of the Greyjoys. On the tv show Yara was 29 years old when Theon was 16 years old. Here Theon is 5, Yara is 12, Maron is 15 and Rodrik is 17. Rodrik and Maron weren't on the tv show since they were already dead. I did write my own versions of them._

_Rodrik Greyjoy was supposedly an alcoholic with a tendency for drunken cuffs. That's basically all I know of this character's personality since Theon is kind of unreliable narrator. Rodrik is quite a pugnacious and angry character in this chapter. He does have redeeming qualities too._

_Also when I said this fic is based mostly on the tv show version seasons 1-4 (maybe parts of the other seasons) by that I mean most of the characters except for Euron and couple of other characters. The story I will be writing is going to be different from the show. In this story Euron will actually be so much worse compared to Ramsay. If Joffrey is supposedly a monster, Ramsay is a demon then Euron is the devil himself._

Next chapter (Maron) will be released on Sunday 20.10.2019.

All feedback/criticism is welcome.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day! :)


	3. Chapter 2 - Maron Greyjoy

**MARON**

Maron walked out of the training room to see what the fuss was about. When he saw them, he laughed clutching his sides. Rodrik had smacked him on the back of his head, yet he still kept on laughing. He moved away from Rodrik. He could feel Rodrik glaring at his back. His mother looked at them concerned.

"Shut your mouth! I can still hear you snickering from here." Rodrik said annoyed.

"It's not like you to go out to swim with all your clothes on after drinking. And you returned with little Theon?" Maron answered back.

Rodrik lifted his brows to question him. He shook his head. Maron noticed that Theon had snuck out. He couldn't help, but to smirk. _So something interesting did happen_.

"We need to talk now. Follow me." Rodrik

"Well then...excuse us, dear mother." Maron said.

"Don't get into any trouble now. Good night, boys." Their mother said sternly.

"Good night, mother." Both Rodrik and Maron answered in unison.

Maron followed him out of the hall_. Why is he looking so grim? His grim expression means trouble. _They walked in silence into Rodrik's room. Maron closed the door behind them.

"What's gotten you looking so grim, brother?" Maron asked breaking the silence.

"Our little brother." Rodrik answered.

"Little Theon annoyed you that badly?" Maron teased.

"Something is off about him." Rodrik retorted.

"He is a bit strange these days." Maron agreed.

"You've noticed it too?" Rodrik asked.

"He doesn't believe any of my japes anymore. It's no fun." Maron admitted.

"He doesn't even fight back. At least before he cried and tried to fight back. He would even run. He would run to our mother to tell about every little thing. Now it's as if he isn't even here. Theon was shy before, but this is different. Something must've happened to make him like that." Rodrik explained.

"Aye." Maron agreed. _Must've been something terrible._

"He jumped off a cliff today for a fucking bird." Rodrik said clenching his fists.

"What? For a bird? Now that's stupid even for him. Was it the cliff near the shore?" Maron questioned.

"He jumped after it because I threw it. It was the cliff near the Tavern." Rodrik replied.

Maron frowned. _I_ _can't believe what I'm hearing. Even a grown man doesn't dare to jump from there. But Theon did..._

"You're japing." Maron said in disbelief. Rodrik raised his brows.

"It's true." Rodrik responded.

"How is he still alive then?" Maron asked.

"Your stupidity never ceases to amaze me." Rodrik sighed.

"Don't tell me you jumped off a cliff after him..." Maron said raising his voice.

"I did." Rodrik answered.

"Who would have thought that Rodrik Greyjoy takes stupid risks? Out of all people you jumped off the cliff near the Tavern because of little Theon? That's a bit hard to believe." Maron said crossing his arms.

"I fucking did it. You annoying bastard. Did you really think we went out to swim?" Rodrik said irritated.

"NO! HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Maron shouted.

"I HAD TO GET HIM OUT." Rodrik answered.

"YOU COULD'VE DIED! THEON COULD'VE DIED!" Maron yelled.

"and what of it if I did?" Rodrik asked.

"Then I would be here alone dealing with this rat shit! You fool!" Maron answered.

They stared each other down. Maron felt his confusion and irritation growing.

"Now isn't the time to get into a fight. We can deal with this later. We have more important things to worry about:" Rodrik said.

"Rodrik, what are you talking about? What's supposedly more important?" Maron shot back irritated.

"You heard about what father is planning to do?" Rodrik asked.

Rodrik stared at him expectantly. The question caught him off guard. Maron tried to think. _Father was more on the edge than usual. What is he planning? Father did talk with uncles more often now. He did as if he was starting to prepare for something. But for what? A raid? Rodrik must know the answer._

"I have no fucking idea what you mean. I think he is preparing for something. He gets irritated a lot more at Theon too. So it must be something big." Maron admitted.

"Independence for our Iron Islands." Rodrik stated.

"You're japing. Why? " Maron asked.

"Do I look like I'm japing? It's obvious why. Stop asking stupid questions. There is going to be a war soon enough."

"No fucking way." Maron whispered.

"There is a war coming, Maron." Rodrik stated irritated.

"And we have to fight with them, for the Independence?" Maron questioned.

"That's right. We are going into a war. The preparation for war has started." Rodrik affirmed.

Rodrik and Maron kept talking about their future plans. How they're going to defend and how the attacks might happen. Maron felt uneasy and he was sure Rodrik was feeling the crushing weight placed on his shoulder. _Rodrik is the first heir after all._ He had great expectations placed on him. Maron could see the sun rising up. _We talked the entire night the plans, yet the heavy feeling on my chest isn't going away. I need to calm down. _Rodrik noticed the sun rising up too.

"It's already morning. Go to sleep. We can talk later." Rodrik said.

Maron nodded and left the room. _I don't think I can fall asleep easily with this knowledge. This is such an unfair life. _His eyelids did feel heavy. He arrived at his own room and tried to sleep. Maron tried counting from zero to ten thousand. He didn't fall asleep. _Bet Rodrik hasn't been able to sleep either._

There was a knock on his door. Maron didn't bother answering. There was another louder knock on his door. _Might as well get up since I can't sleep anyway._

"Come on in!" Maron yelled.

The door was pushed open. In the doorway stood a figure of a small girl.

"Mother asked you to join us. Are you coming to eat or not?" Yara asked sounding annoyed.

"Be there soon." Maron answered.

Yara left the room. Maron got up and decided to go check on Rodrik. He knocked on his door. He didn't hear an answer. _I should knock louder. _Maron knocked again and decided to open the door. To his surprise, Rodrik wasn't there. _He is probably already eating with the rest of the family. _Maron entered the dining room. He looked around and saw almost everyone except Rodrik.

"You've finally decided to join us." Balon said.

"Of course. Have you seen Rodrik?" Maron asked.

"He went outside. Why?" Alannys answered.

"I was just wondering where he was." Maron answered.

"That reminds me. Yara, where is Theon?" Alannys turned to look at her daughter.

"Theon said he wanted to sleep." Yara answered.

"Is he alright? Was there anything wrong?" Alannys asked. Yara was about to answer but Balon cut in.

"You worry too much about the boy. Leave him be." Balon said.

"But-" Alannys protested.

"Quiet woman!" Balon said raising his voice_. Father seems angry for some reason. The oncoming war might be getting on his nerves._

They ate in silence. Maron left in a hurry. _Time to find Rodrik. He's probably at the shore._. Maron didn't have to search long. Rodrik was at the shore throwing rocks. As he expected, Rodrik had a beer bottle in his other hand.

"RODRIK!" Maron yelled. Rodrik turned around to look at him. His expression was blank. Maron walked towards him.

"It's fucked up, everything is." Rodrik muttered. Maron just nodded.

"Our last heir would be little Theon. He isn't going to be ready. He is too weak. He needs to be strong like the ironborn." Rodrik said. Maron thought of a wicked idea.

"Then how about we teach him a lesson? About animals?" Maron sneered.

"How about a lesson about birds? You think he would like to learn about birds?" Rodrik asked.

"He would love to know more about birds." Maron answered smirking. Rodrik nodded. A mischievous grin appearing on his lips. They walked back to their house. Talking about the lesson they were going to teach.

_Rodrik seems drunk. That's bad news for Theon. It was fun japing at Theon's expense. The look on his face was priceless when I had told him he was going to be an uncle. It was almost as hilarious as the time when I tricked him thinking he was going to turn into a squid. He actually believed that bad kids turn into squids. _

Maron and Rodrik stood in front of Theon's room. They knocked, no one answered. Rodrik and Maron went into Theon's room. _Little Theon is asleep. Time to wake him._

"Rise and shine! Little brother get up!" Maron sing-songed.

"How's the bird doing, little Theon? We're going to teach you lesson about birds today." Rodrik said cheerfully.

Rodrik slammed his beer glass down the table so hard Theon jumped at the sound. Maron let out a laugh. Rodrik glares at Theon. Still, he refused to look at them. Theon looked at his blanket . He like a beat up puppy.

"Where is the bird? I don't see it." Maron asked.

Theon was quiet. He continued to look at his blanket.

"You're such a fucking wuss." Maron laughed.

"Just a fucking weak little fucker. Can't even bother to look at us." Rodrik stepped closer to Theon. There was no escape. Like a rabbit being surrounded by foxes. He was just waiting for doom.

Maron knew the silence between them seemed to be suffocating to Theon. He was easy to read, like a open book. A quiet tapping could be heard inside the closet door.

"What do we have here? I wonder." Maron had already walked past Theon and Rodrik to the closet door. Theon turned to face Maron. He looked pale. Rodrik took his arm before he could do anything.

"It's just an injured seagull. How boring." Maron remarked.

"You aren't allowed to have any pets. So it's going to die." Rodrik ordered.

Maron looked at Rodrik_. He said it so effortlessly_. He then looked at Theon and saw his face. Maron's face split into wide wicked grin.

"No! Leave it alone. Please, Maron don't kill it!" Theon screamed. Rodrik punched his stomach. Theon coughed.

"Today you're going to learn about how unfair life is. Maron, kill it now." Rodrik said in a monotone voice.

A small sickening crunch could be heard. The seagull died immediately. Maron looked over at Rodrik and saw that Theon had gotten out of bed. Theon looked at Maron and Rodrik. Maron couldn't help, but to grin. _Finally, he's back at being himself. Theon needs to get stronger. _Rodrik looked bored. Theon walked over to the seagull. Its head was now crushed and it looked gruesome. _He looks like he's about to cry_. He took the seagull from the ground. Theon carried it with him. He was walking towards the door, but Rodrik blocked him.

"And where do you think you're going with that thing?" Rodrik said. Theon lifted his head and looked at Rodrik. They kept glaring at each other.

"Little baby probably wants to bury it." Maron broke the staring contest between them.

"Seriously? You're even weaker than I thought. You're way weaker than any woman here."

"Can you move? please." Theon asked politely.

"The mute speaks! It's a miracle!" Maron snickered.

"Look at that, isn't little Theon being quite rude to his older brother?" Rodrik sneered.

"Get the hell out of my way pieces of shits!" Theon shrieked. A chill ran through Maron's spine. _This isn't like him at all._

"What did you just call me?" Rodrik glared at Theon.

"You heard me shithead." Theon glared back at Rodrik.

Rodrik and Maron looked at each other. Two matching mischevious grins spread across their faces.

"You wound us little Theon. Rodrik just didn't want you to die for some fucking bird, ya little shit" Maron mocked.

"So disrespectful to you older brothers, little fucker. You do need a good beating or two." Rodrik said. Rodrik punched Theon in the face. Theon tried to block his other punches, but Rodrik was faster. He repeatedly punched him in the face. Maron walked next to Rodrik and placed a hand on his shoulder. Rodrik stopped.

"Stop it. He's already unconscious." Maron said. Rodrik seemed surprised at himself.

"I know I went too far, little shit knows how to piss people off." Rodrik said.

Their father had opened the door and seen the scene. He just scoffed at Theon.

"Teaching him another lesson? Why bother? He won't suddenly become stronger." Balon remarked.

"We can always try." Maron answered.

"He will always be a disgrace. Don't bother with him. Rodrik and Maron we need to have a discussion. It's about the future of The Iron Islands."

Rodrik and Maron looked back at Theon who was laying on the ground. He was still clutching the bird in his hands. _He hadn't been trying to block Rodrik's punches. He had been protecting the dead bird. Why? _Rodrik seemed to have noticed it too. Maron walked out of the room following Rodrik and his father. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he wished that Theon would survive the oncoming war. He didn't want to lose anyone. He would make sure that all of them will survive.

**END NOTES:**

_Theon only remembers Maron's cruel japes and compulsive lies. That was all I knew of this character so I had to write my own version of him too. Since Theon is unrealiable as a narrator, I've decided to give Maron redeeming qualities. World isn't black and white, it has lots of grey areas. Grey areas are where most interesting characters are made in my opinion._

_Thank you for your kind comments_

_Thanks for reading :)_


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